UEFA blasted for response to injury at Euro 2024

After nearly six minutes of treatment, Varga was carried off the Stuttgart Arena pitch on a stretcher while sheets were held up to shield him from view. 

It was later reported that Varga broke several facial bones and suffered a concussion. 

Hungary captain Dominik Szoboszlai slammed UEFA for the response time in tending to his teammate. 

"I don't really know what the [UEFA] protocol is," Szoboszlai said, via TalkSport. "I don't know how it works but if our doctor says we need [to go on] immediately to someone to help, then I don't think they should walk. It's not my decision but I think we need to change something that even if somebody is on the ground and you see that it was a big crash then just go in, even if the referee is saying don't come in. Just go in."

The Telegraph's Oliver Brown joined the chorus of criticism, writing a scathing op-ed on Monday in which he compared the incident to Christian Eriksen's cardiac arrest three years ago. 

"While the overwhelming sensation is one of relief at Varga’s health, there are serious questions for Uefa to answer about how this episode was handled," Brown wrote. "Why did directors on the home feed immediately zoom in on the stricken player, with the memories of Eriksen's cardiac arrest so fresh? And why did the severity of the situation take so long to comprehend that Szoboszlai had to grab the stretcher himself?"

UEFA defended the incident by issuing a statement on Monday.

"The coordination between all the medical staff on site was professional and everything was done in accordance with the applicable medical procedures," UEFA said in the statement. "There was no delay in the treatment of and assistance to the player."